Monday, February 15, 2010

Today WWD has yet another story about social media. Yes we all know many brands are live streaming shows and that the new media uptake is accelerating. What really caught my eye however was a handful of figures that they had managed to extract from various fashion houses delineating what percentages of either their press lists - or, according to WWD, their total guests lists - are suddenly being thrown open to bloggers. For companies that have either already shown in New York or are about to show: 10 percent of Nicole Miller's press list was reportedly comprised of bloggers. Tory Burch's guest list, 15percent. Vivienne Tam's press list, 20percent (200 bloggers). Ports 1961's guest list, 35percent. And the guest lists of both Walter and Temperley London: a whopping 40percent.

Against this backdrop, frockwriter feels the need to point out that the Paris shows organising body, the Chambre Syndicale, in all its wisdom, has just refused to accredit Melanie Hick. That's the Melbourne-based fashion editor of The Vine – Fairfax Digital's youth-skewed news website. As recounted to frockwriter, “We don’t accredit websites” was the response she was given while attempting to organise her upcoming FW1011 shows trip.

Fantastic to see that however quickly other parts of the fashion world are embracing the digital age, the French establishment continues to discriminate against even online professionals.

However as the organisation informed me back in early 2007, when I switched from being the fashion reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald to that of its online arm smh.com.au, and then again six months later, the fashion reporter for News Ltd's news.com.au, they’re not accrediting any "new" ones. Fairfax Digital and News Digital Media only operating two of the highest traffic news media websites in Australia.

2
comments:

A Fashion Blogger Fan
said...

At least here in Australia we have a switched on fashion week and all bloggers should be celebrating the efforts of iBlogFashion's Helen Lee, for helping to compile a comprehensive resource for those needing to get a grip!..we hear fashion week organisers will consider this list and its data profiles when accrediting bloggers this season...

The biggest advent the body does need to consider is how it will move into this digital age of fashion reporting. However, it is as much as protecting their members and their work and that it should be kept to news professionals right? So therefore online professions should eventually be included.

To the comment above, we can talk about bloggers in this country but this country doesn't even have a chamber like the French. That's a serious problem.